Thread: Advocate's legal woes lengthy

Advocate's legal woes lengthy

By SERGIO CHAPA Al DÃ*a schapa@aldiatx.com

http://www.wfaa.com



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Accion America leader Carlos Quintanilla addressed the media and supporters Thursday night after being released from the Irving jail, where he'd been held on traffic charges. He was arrested before he could lead a protest against Irving's policy of placing immigration holds on undocumented arrestees.





Advocate's legal woes lengthy

Hispanic activist Carlos Quintanilla's legal troubles extend beyond the misdemeanor arrest warrants that led to his arrest in Irving last week before a rally against the city's immigration policies.

Irving police arrested Mr. Quintanilla for allegedly driving without a license, a criminal trespass warrant from Dallas and seven other warrants hours before he was scheduled to lead a rally against the city's 24/7 Criminal Alien Program. The program has been used to deport more than 1,600 undocumented immigrants from Irving since last year.

Mr. Quintanilla was released from jail after supporters paid more than $3,000 in cash, but a review of Dallas city and county records show that the activist owes an additional $3,488.90 in outstanding fines, fees and court costs for 12 other alleged offenses dating to August 2003.

Mr. Quintanilla said he and his attorneys will clear his name, but municipal court records show that the cases remained classified as warrants Tuesday morning. Mr. Quintanilla's attorney, Olivario Estrada, did not return calls seeking comment.

The 12 alleged violations range from fire code transgressions from his prior business, Mercado Azteca, to traffic offenses such as driving without a license, no seat belt, no insurance, expired inspection stickers and expired registration stickers.

Texas Department of Public Safety records show that Mr. Quintanilla's driver's license has been suspended off and on since July 2005 for failure to pay DPS fees related to various traffic tickets. It has been suspended since July 2006 for nonpayment of DPS fees for traffic offenses.

City of Dallas records show that eight cases, including the three alleged fire code violations and five traffic violations, went to a collection agency and are classified as warrants. A ninth case went to a collection agency, but a warrant hasn't been placed on it yet.

But Johnanna Greiner, chief of prosecution for Dallas' city attorney's office, said those warrants were never entered into a law enforcement database that would have triggered additional criminal charges during his Irving arrest. She said Mr. Quintanilla received deferred adjudication in the majority of the cases but never paid the fines and fees set by the judge. Mr. Quintanilla, she said, must also pay DPS fees in two cases for which he received time served.

Ms. Greiner said Mr. Quintanilla must resolve all his tickets and pay state fees for many of them before he can apply to get his driver's license back.

Court records show that Mr. Quintanilla already has court dates set for three of the tickets from the Irving arrest.

Mr. Quintanilla said he is disputing those tickets and will investigate the others.

Mr. Quintanilla said he thought he'd been given time served for all his traffic tickets during a July 2006 incarceration in a child support dispute.

Mr. Quintanilla was criticized by other Hispanic leaders last week, but he said Monday that he does not believe his arrest or the outstanding tickets undermine his credibility.

"How do you measure credibility?" he asked. "By parking tickets or by what I've done with 'cheese' heroin and other issues?"

Jose Angel Gutierrez, a former Chicano activist and government professor with the University of Texas at Arlington, said police have historically come after Hispanic activists with any criminal charges they can find.

Dr. Gutierrez said he does not believe the arrest and tickets will hurt the immigration reform movement, but they might damage Mr. Quintanilla's public image for a short time.

"It's something you need to take especially seriously," Mr. Gutierrez said. "You need to have a clean white shirt and pants these days. ... It just shows you how petty things are getting."

can you say loser?

These laws just dont apply in Aztlan.

I know I'm going to probably regret asking this, but what the heck is "chease heroin?"

Originally Posted by Shapka

I know I'm going to probably regret asking this, but what the heck is "chease heroin?"

The new drug. Dealers mix tylenol PM with herion and sell it real cheap... They call it the lunch money drug, sells for a buck or two and is addictive the first time, if it doesn't kill you! I have heard several stories of the first use killing several kids across the country. I"ll see if I can find something on it..

Originally Posted by Shapka

I know I'm going to probably regret asking this, but what the heck is "chease heroin?"

new one on me

Originally Posted by GREGAGREATAMERICAN

Originally Posted by Shapka

I know I'm going to probably regret asking this, but what the heck is "chease heroin?"

new one on me

Deadly $2 heroin targets teens
Story Highlights• Authorities say there have been 21 "cheese" deaths in the Dallas area since 2005
• Schools, police have begun campaign to try to stop the drug from spreading
• Middle schoolers cheer after detective says U.S. has the most drug users
• Dad of a teenager who died says: "All it takes is once"
From Tracy Sabo
CNN

DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- A cheap, highly addictive drug known as "cheese heroin" has killed 21 teenagers in the Dallas area over the past two years, and authorities say they are hoping they can stop the fad before it spreads across the nation.

"Cheese heroin" is a blend of so-called black tar Mexican heroin and crushed over-the-counter medications that contain the antihistamine diphenhydramine, found in products such as Tylenol PM, police say. The sedative effects of the heroin and the nighttime sleep aids make for a deadly brew.

"A double whammy -- you're getting two downers at once," says Dallas police detective Monty Moncibais. "If you take the body and you start slowing everything down, everything inside your body, eventually you're going to slow down the heart until it stops and, when it stops, you're dead." (Audio slide show: A father describes his teen son's death)

Steve Robertson, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, says authorities are closely monitoring the use of "cheese" in Dallas.

Trying to keep the drug from spreading to other cities, the DEA is working with Dallas officials to raise public awareness about the problem. Authorities also are trying to identify the traffickers, Robertson says.

"We are concerned about any drug trend that is new because we want to stop it," he says.

Why should a parent outside Dallas care about what's happening there?

Robertson says it's simple: The ease of communication via the Internet and cell phones allows a drug trend to spread rapidly across the country.

"A parent in New York should be very concerned about a drug trend in Dallas, a drug trend in Kansas City, a drug trend anywhere throughout the United States," he says.

Middle schoolers acknowledge 'cheese'
"Cheese" is not only dangerous. It's cheap. About $2 for a single hit and as little as $10 per gram. The drug can be snorted with a straw or through a ballpoint pen, authorities say. It causes drowsiness and lethargy, as well as euphoria, excessive thirst and disorientation. That is, if the user survives. (Interactive: What is "cheese"? )

Authorities aren't exactly sure how the drug got its name "cheese." It's most likely because the ground-up, tan substance looks like Parmesan cheese. The other theory is it's shorthand for the Spanish word "chiva," which is street slang for heroin.

By using the name "cheese," drug dealers are marketing the low-grade heroin to a younger crowd -- many of them middle schoolers -- unaware of its potential dangers, authorities say.

"These are street dealers, dope dealers," Moncibais recently warned students at Sam Tasby Middle School. "They give you a lethal dose. What do they care?"

Moncibais then asked how many students knew a "cheese" user. Just about everyone in the auditorium raised a hand. At one point, when he mentioned that the United States has the highest rate of drug users in the world, the middle schoolers cheered. (Watch middle schoolers raise hands, admit they know drug users)

"You know, I know being No. 1 is important, but being the No. 1 dopeheads in the world, I don't know whether [that] bears applause," Moncibais shot back.

Authorities say the number of arrests involving possession of "cheese" in the Dallas area this school year was 146, up from about 90 the year before. School is out for the summer, and authorities fear that the students, with more time on their hands, could turn to the drug.

'Cheese' as common a problem as pot
School officials and police have been holding assemblies, professional lectures, PTA meetings and classroom discussions to get the word out about the drug. A public service announcement made by Dallas students is airing on local TV, and a hotline number has been created for those seeking assistance.

Drug treatment centers in Dallas say teen "cheese" addicts are now as common as those seeking help for a marijuana addiction. "It is the first drug to have even come close in my experience here," says Michelle Hemm, director of Phoenix House in Dallas.

From September 2005 to September 2006, Phoenix House received 69 "cheese" referral calls from parents. Hemm says that in the last eight months alone, that number has nearly doubled to 136. The message from the parents is always, "My kid is using 'cheese,' " she says.

Phoenix House refers them to detoxification units first, but Hemm says at least 62 teens have received additional treatment at her facility since last September.

Fernando Cortez Sr. knows all too well how devastating cheese heroin can be. A reformed drug user who has spent time in prison, Cortez had spoken to his children about the pitfalls of drug use. He thought his 15-year-old son was on the right track.

But on March 31, his boy, Fernando "Nando" Cortez Jr., was found dead after using cheese heroin.

"I should have had a better talk with him," he says. "All it takes is once. You get high once and you die, and that's what happened to my son."

He knows it's too late for his son. Now, he is using his son's story to help others.

"All I can do is try to help people now. Help the kids, help the parents."

CNN.com senior producer Wayne Drash contributed to this report.








Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/12/cheese ... index.html



"Cheese" Heroin

June 2007

"Cheese" heroin or "starter heroin" is a combination of black tar heroin and ground up cold medicine (Tylenol PM) containing acetaminophen and diphenhydramine. The mixture is a tan powder that is snorted.

According to users, the effects of "cheese" heroin include euphoria, disorientation, lethargy, sleepiness and hunger. This combination appears to be highly addictive. Withdrawal symptoms from "cheese" heroin may begin within twelve hours of use and include headache, chills, muscle pains, muscle spasms, anxiety, agitation, disorientation and disassociation.

This mixture has been found in middle and high schools in the Dallas, Texas area and costs around $2 per hit and $10 per gram. Over the past two years, there have reportedly been approximately 20 teen deaths in the Dallas area due to "cheese" heroin. The number of arrests involving possession of "cheese" heroin in the Dallas area during the 2006–2007 school year was 146, which is an increase from approximately 90 such arrests the year before.

Sources/Additional Resources:

Publications:

"Cheese" Heroin: Status as of June 2, 2007 (PDF), Jane C. Maxwell, Ph.D., June 2007

Cheese Heroin (PDF), Dallas Police Department, April 2007


News Articles:

"Deadly $2 Heroin Targets Teens" CNN, June 12, 2007

"Deadly Combination of Heroin and Cold Medicine Invades Dallas" Join Together, May 15, 2007

"'Cheese' Heroin New Deadly Drug of Choice" CBS 5, May 7, 2007

'Cheese' Heroin Kills 18th Dallas County Student" The Dallas Morning News, April 23, 2007

"Deadly 'Cheese' Epidemic Spreading Far and Fast" The Dallas Morning News, April 15, 2007


http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/pub ... ns/cheese/